These Are The Moments
by Mrs Crawford Badgley
Summary: Series of one-shot song-fics about Dan and Blair. Some will follow the storyline of the show while others will be AU. Read and enjoy!
1. Back To December

**A/N – I was very nervous about writing Dan and Blair. They're kind of hard to write but I gave it my best shot. Loosely based on 'Back to December' by Taylor Swift this chapter follows the storyline of the show, looking at a missing moment from Blair's summer in Monaco.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Gossip Girl or its characters.**

"So, that means you won't be back for another week?" Blair whined into the phone.

"I am so sorry, Blair. President Sarkozy is a busy man and I need to meet with him before I return to Monaco," Louis replied. Knowing his fiancée was tiring of the same people and places, he suggested she ring a friend or do some shopping.

"I think I already bought all the stock in every store in Monaco," she paused and sighed, "but I guess I could call a friend. I wonder what Serena is doing."

"Perfect. Now, I must go, my darling. I'm about to step into a meeting."

"Ok. I'll see you soon. I lo-." The phone clicked off before Blair could finish her sentence.

Summer in Monaco with Louis was not what she expected. She envisioned dinners in tiny little restaurants after closing time, sneaking away to a country cottage (which was the size of a palace) for a weekend or even just 48 uninterrupted hours without Louis being called away to a meeting with some foreign royal or diplomat. She was bored. She glanced down at her canary yellow diamond engagement ring and started to hyperventilate. If she couldn't survive four weeks, how would she survive a lifetime?

She quickly turned back to the bed and searched the puffy duvet cover for the phone she had just tossed onto it. Flipping it open, she scrolled her contacts until she found the number she was looking for.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, Serena felt her phone vibrating in her bag. She quickly rifled through her messy bag and found the phone. Without even glancing at it, she clicked it off and continued with her new job. She could return the call later.

"Hi, you've rung Serena Van Der-." Blair hung up and threw the phone back on her bed. She shuffled over the computer, trying to find something, anything, to distract her from this huge life-changing thought that had entered her mind.

_Emails. I'll check my emails. That doesn't require much deep and meaningful thought,_ she decided.

She read through two emails from her mother, one from her step-father and another drunk-induced email from Nate. Vogue subscription, Columbia University, Netflix, W Magazine. Netflix? She scrolled back up the page and clicked on the email:

_Dear Miss Waldorf,_

_It has come to our attention that the playlist __**Dan and Blair's Summer Movies **__was created more than four weeks ago and has not been viewed. This is a courtesy message reminding you that this playlist is available for you to view at any time, simply by following the link and clicking "Watch Instantly."_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Netflix Administration Team._

She had thought about Dan every day for the last month. She was wondering what he was doing with his summer, why he hadn't emailed or messaged about movies or art or anything. Wasn't he supposed to be her friend? Or at least an acquaintance she occasionally watched movies with…and kissed?

The kiss. She lied to everyone, including herself, when she said that it meant nothing. It wasn't like kissing her brother, or Serena's brother. It was…different. Maybe it was his Brooklyn roots or the fact that he wasn't like anyone she had ever known but it was a good kiss. And she had been thinking about it for months.

For her, the pink party was a test; another chance to make sense of the things she had felt after the first kiss. It was a chance to see whether she would feel the same things again. And, of course, she did, but somehow she was still surprised; still shaken by the fact that she had begun to understand the "Humphrey Appeal."

But Dan wouldn't feel the same things. Why would he? He had been with Serena, the queen bee, the favourite fantasy of every man. Guys didn't trade down from Serena, they traded up. Nate was a prime example of this. So no, Dan was not feeling the same about the kiss but he was still a Netflix friend. Blair clicked the forward button and wrote a quick email to Dan:

_Humphrey,_

_Don't think I've forgotten our little deal this summer. _

_Watching Rosemary's Baby just isn't the same without you complaining about your dreadfully bad luck._

_Blair._

Blair let the cursor hover over _Send_ for a moment before clicking the button.

She shut the lid of her laptop and walked into her closet, distracting herself again. Clothing could endlessly distract her. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers across the dresses she would never wear again; a lady of society never repeated an outfit in public. Her hand stopped on a soft material she didn't recognise. Without opening her eyes, she rubbed the skirt of the dress between her fingers and breathed in its smell. As she opened her eyes to see her pink party dress, her phone rang, not giving her time to contemplate the meaning of stopping at this particular outfit.

She walked back over to her bed and picked up her cell phone from the mattress.

_Humphrey_

The name screamed at her from the screen. She took a deep breath before clicking the green _Accept_ button.

"So you still remember my number, huh, Humphrey? I thought you might be working through our summer movie playlist alone," Blair answered with mocking tone in her voice.

"I thought I'd let you get used to royal life before I gave you my across-the-bridge views on _The Landlord_," Dan replied, happy to hear Blair's voice for the first time in four weeks.

"You _would_ choose that movie to begin with, since it is set in your native land of Brooklyn."

"Would you rather begin with _Tiffany's _or _Roman Holiday_?"

"I've had enough of royalty to almost never watch _Holiday _again."

"After only one month, the Prince's charm is wearing off, is it?"

"We…I di…I just-."

"It's a joke, Waldorf. How is the Prince's Palace? And the Prince, of course?"

"It's…" Blair contemplated telling Dan the truth, about everything she was thinking earlier that day, about the way she'd been feeling for the last month, "great. Louis is very busy, but we see each other as often as we can. His mother is here too but I don't see her very much, either. Which I guess is a good thing because I don't think she likes me very much." Blair laughed nervously and heard silence from the other end of the line.

Even though he was across an ocean, Blair knew what he wasn't saying when he sighed and said in a questioning tone, "Blair?"

"Ok, ok. It's not great, it's not even good. I've probably seen Louis for two hours the entire time we've been here and don't even get me started on our sex life."

Dan cringed on the other end of the line, "Don't worry, I won't. What's going on with Louis?"

"It's just…not what I expected. I mean, I knew he wasn't going to be with me every minute we were here but I at least expected to eat more than one meal with him. I'm bored and I don't think I want to…be bored anymore." She couldn't bring herself to say the words, she could barely think them: _I don't think I want to get married anymore._

"So you're rethinking…boredom? That's a pretty big decision."

Of course Dan understood what she was saying, why wouldn't he? He was a writer so he understood metaphors. "I…I don't know what I'm thinking. I'm just trying to work out what I'm feeling and what will happen to me and Louis if I decide to…if I come home."

"Well, maybe a female perspective would help. Have you spoken to Serena?"

"She's too busy in L.A. to accept a call from her best friend. I got her voicemail. And I can't speak to anyone else about this. Well, except you…I guess."

Dan laughed awkwardly into the phone, "Yeah, you'd think I was your therapist or something, the way you've been talking to me."

"Well…thank you. I really needed to talk to…a friend. Even one that refuses to watch movies with me."

"The phone works both ways, Waldorf. You could have just as easily called me, especially since you claim to have been bored for the last four weeks."

"Well, I guess we better get a start of this list then. We do have four weeks to catch up on. Shall we start with your favourite, _The Landlord_?"

"So, because I'm from Brooklyn, _The Landlord_ must be my favourite movie? Actually, I guess that makes sense. I mean, _Tiffany's_ is your favourite movie."

"Humphrey! The location of _Tiffany's _has nothing to do with it being my favourite. It is an inspiring story about-."

"Ok, ok. Let's just start the movie. You could probably talk about Hepburn movies for hours."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Blair couldn't believe how quickly the past two hours went as the credits were rolling. She wasn't bored at all throughout the entire 113 minute movie.

"Beau is definitely the more talented Bridges brother. Jeff may be more famous but at least Beau doesn't sell out and only make blockbusters," Dan said, giving his reflections on the movie's cast.

"I'd have to agree with you on that, Humphrey. Beau is more talented. However, we could compare their work more closely. I'll add _The Fabulous Baker Boys_ to the playlist even though I'm appalled by Michelle Pfeiffer's pedestrian acting ability."

"Just added it. I guess we'll continue with that tomorrow then. Same time?"

"Sure. And, Humphrey? Thank you for the movie…and the talk."

"No problem. You can always call me to watch a movie…or for whatever else you need."

"Well, it's _The Fabulous Baker Boys_ tomorrow, and then we'll continue with the rest of the list after that."

"Sounds good. Hopefully the summer improves for you."

"It already has. Thanks, Humphrey. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. Bye, then."

"Goodbye."

Blair hung up and said to no one what she had wanted to say to Dan: "I miss you."

Across the Atlantic, a certain Lonely Boy was thinking exactly the same thing.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Netflix, Rosemary's Baby, The Landlord, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday or The Fabulous Baker Boys.**

**I used Google, Wikipedia and IMDb to find facts about Monaco and the movies I mentioned.**

**Thanks to my sister Cookie141 for being my beta and helping me make this story perfect for all you guys out there!**


	2. Chicago

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter. They mean the world to me! This chapter is based on the song 'Chicago' by Kate Voegele. It's much longer than the previous one and is AU but still has parts of the show's storyline, especially Season 5.**

**I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write and upload but, hopefully, it will have been worth the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Gossip Girl or its characters.**

"SEVEN O'CLOCK TO CHICAGO! ALL ABOARD! FINAL CALL FOR THE SEVEN O'CLOCK TRAIN TO CHICAGO!"

Dan turned his head back to the Grand Central Station entrance, hoping to see her walk through the door. This was supposed to be the beginning of six weeks of uninterrupted bliss, no Serena, no Chuck, no parents. Just Dan and Blair, in crowded little bookstores, tiny hidden cafes and hotel rooms where the only visitors were room service and cleaning staff. There would, of course, have to be some book readings and signings; that was the real reason he was going. And he was bringing her because…well, it wouldn't be happening without her.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Oh, for crying out loud, Humphrey!"

Dan's chest could feel Blair's knuckles digging in, his hand could feel the cool skin of her shoulder and Blair's balled up fists could feel the jacket that Dan had been wearing all night. But their brains were only processing one feeling from only one part of their bodies; their lips. Road trips, scheming, unplanned movie dates, planned movie dates and a bit of plausible deniability later, they had arrived here; a kiss in the foyer of Blair's penthouse…which she shared with Dan's ex-girlfriend. As this thought occurred to Blair, she removed her lips from Dan's and took a step back. She was still clutching the lapels of his jacket when she whispered, "What about Serena?"

"Serena? I'm kissing you, not her," Dan replied.

Blair loosed her hands on Dan's lapels and straightened her dress as she took another step back. "I-. What does this-." The _ding_ of the elevator bell interrupted Blair's sentence. She leapt forward and took Dan's hand, dragging him into the kitchen. "It must be Serena. She can't see you. Stay in here," Blair said to Dan.

Blair patted down her hair and stepped back out into the foyer just as Serena was starting to ascend the stairs, very quickly. "Serena? You're home."

"Just to change. I have to get to the courthouse. Rufus called and said he wants us to be there to support Lily. Something about how we're a family and she needs us. I don't know. I think I'm staying at their place tonight so I'll need to pack a bag for that too."

Serena turned and continued to walk quickly up the stairs, with Blair right behind her. As she got her bedroom door, she turned to Serena and said, "Well, wish Lily luck. I'm off to bed. Good night."

"Night," Serena replied, before closing her door.

Blair closed hers too but left it open just a crack to make sure she could see Serena leave again. She stood right next to her door while watching the handle of Serena's, waiting for it to turn. It opened again after a few minutes which, to Blair, felt like hours. As Serena began to descend the stairs, Blair stepped out onto the landing between the two bedrooms. She listened closely for the bell and then the closing of the elevator door before she quickly walked down the stairs and back into the kitchen. She walked in to find Dan sitting on a stool, tracing on the marble countertop with his fingers.

"She's gone," Blair said timidly to Dan.

"Good. Now what was that? Making me hide in the kitchen just because Serena got home?"

"Well, we were not going to tell anyone about our…not-a-friendship so I thought if Serena found you here at this hour, she would suspect something was going on."

"Like us kissing?" Dan replied with a teasing grin on his face.

"Yes. About that. I think we need to talk about it."

"Well, I-."

"I enjoyed it," Blair said in a soft voice.

"Yeah, it, uh, wasn't a bad kiss. It was actually good."

"_Bad _and _good_? Wow, for a writer you're not very creative with your words are you Humphrey?" Blair said, teasingly.

"But the real question is where do we go from here? I mean, do we date, stay friends or just go back to being…whatever we were before we were friends?"

"Maybe we should…sleep on it?"

"Sleep on it? That's, umm, not a bad idea. Coffee in the morning to talk?"

"Sounds good. Night, Dan."

Dan stood and moved to wish her good night by placing a light kiss on her lips. He walked out and journeyed back to Brooklyn.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

He heard a little knock on the door and turned over to look at the time.

_2:08. _Who was knocking on the door at 2:08 in the morning?

He dragged himself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, as he walked towards the door. He opened it and barely registered that Blair was there, as she pushed past him into the loft. She turned to face him again, "I couldn't sleep on it because I couldn't sleep," she took in his messed up hair and the t-shirt and boxers he wore and continued her sentence, "but obviously you could, hence this dishevelled state you're in. I guess that's my answer. I'll go back home now."

As she began to walk out the door, Dan grabbed her hand and pulled her against him. Tangling his other hand in her hair, he kissed her again and whispered, "_That's_ my answer."

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

That first night was spent on the couch, talking and kissing. She fell asleep on his shoulder and woke up to the smell of waffles. This continued for weeks; hiding out in the loft, secretly dating, ordering everything in. They made a few appearances in public, at Blair's request, to ensure no one (Gossip Girl) suspected anything. However, they were in their own little Dan-and-Blair world and neither of them could be happier. They decided to go to the pink party separately but they couldn't resist a secret kiss in the study.

As they were walking back down the stairs, to the party, they heard all the phones in the room chime. Blair felt hers vibrate in her hand and she and Dan looked down to see a badly shot video of the kiss they had just enjoyed, evidently not secretly. She looked up to see a head of blonde hair disappearing around a corner on the other side of the apartment. Grabbing Dan's hand, Blair pulled him down the stairs and across the room saying, "We have to explain this to Serena."

"Serena? Look, I can explain," Blair said as she stepped into her best friend's old bedroom.

"Explain what? There must be something seriously wrong with you two if you're dating. You have nothing in common. So it has to be something else. Is this part of a scheme, Blair?" Serena replied in a scathing tone.

Dan was the one to jump in here, defending his relationship with Blair, "Seriously wrong? There is nothing wrong with either of us and we have plenty in common."

"We've stayed up for hours just talking. And nothing has felt wrong during the last few weeks," Blair continued Dan's thoughts.

Serena was shocked, "Weeks? Wait, you _have_ been dating?"

"Yes. We…didn't know how to tell you. We've just been hiding out in Brooklyn, living off gourmet pizza and Chinese takeout. We wanted to see what would happen between us before we told anyone," Blair explained to Serena.

"Wait, wait. How did this even start? You two weren't even friends a few months ago. How did you go from that to a relationship?"

"Well," Dan began to explain, "we were the only two people in the city over the break and we happened to run into each other at the movies once. During those two hours, we somehow went from sitting on opposite sides of the room to sharing the popcorn. So we made plans to see another movie and then go to an art exhibit together. We realised we were having fun and, well, _I_ started feeling something so I suggested the kiss. I thought it might clear the air, make everything go back to normal. But it had the opposite effect." He quickly turned to Blair and reassured her, "Not that I'm complaining. I'm glad it had the opposite effect."

Blair took Dan's hand and seconded his thought, "Me too."

"Whoa. Ok, this is weird. You two as a couple…it's…" A million words passed through Serena's head all with negative connotations, _bad, strange, wrong,_ bad before she could get one out, Blair was talking.

"Well, we are a couple and that's not changing," Blair stood her ground, protecting her relationship.

"I just need some time to get used to this," Serena responded, "I might stay here for a while, if you're going to be at the penthouse."

"There's no need. I won't go where I'm not wanted. Let's go back to Brooklyn, Humphrey." With that she turned and walked out the door, with Dan by her side.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

The next few months passed without incident. Dair, as Gossip Girl had officially christened them, were completely in love but continued to hide out in Brooklyn as Serena and then Chuck came around to the idea of them being together. Rufus accepted them as a couple quite quickly, seeing how happy Blair made his son and Eleanor was accepting the fact that, even though Dan had no fashion sense whatsoever, he clearly was the perfect man for her daughter. Dan wrote more than ever and Blair continued her attempts at becoming the most powerful woman in the world.

Early in the summer, Blair had disappeared for the day on a shopping trip with Serena so Vanessa had come over to the loft to keep Dan company for a few hours. Once they had finally agreed on a movie, Vanessa ventured into the study to find the DVD. She accidently knocked a pile of papers off Dan's desk and moved to pick them up when two words caught her eyes; _Clair and Sabrina_? Vanessa quickly made the connection in her head, "Blair and Serena?" she said to no one in particular. She sat down on the carpet and began to read.

She was interrupted by Dan's who called from the kitchen, "Did you get lost in there or something?" When he heard no response, he walked towards to study and pushing open the door, "What are you-. Is that my book? Oh my god, Vanessa. That's private." He knelt to the floor and quickly picked up all the pages before putting them back on the desk.

"It's really good, Dan, the perfect Upper East Side satire. An outsider story told from the inside. _Inside_ is a good title too. Have you shown it to anyone?"

"No! And I never will. There are things I wrote in there that people can never read."

"Like what? I only read the first chapter."

"You shouldn't have read of it." Dan leaned over his desk and pulled the DVD off the shelf. He took Vanessa's shoulders and turned her towards the kitchen, "Now can we please just watch the movie?"

It was late in the afternoon when the movie ended and Dan waved goodbye to Vanessa, not looking closely enough to see what she had smuggled out of the study when she returned the DVD.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

It was closing in on the first half of summer and Dan and Blair were still going strong. On a sticky Friday afternoon, they were sitting across from each other in the loft; he was writing another short story about a princess who fell in love with a pauper and she was leafing through her new _W _and _Vogue_. Dan's phone began to vibrate from his bedroom; they both looked up from their afternoon entertainment and Dan walked to his room to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon. I'm looking for a Daniel Humphrey," a shrill female voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Well, you've found him. I'm Daniel. Well, just Dan."

"Mr Humphrey? Well, it's a pleasure to finally speak to you. I'm Lindsay Harper from _Holland and Hayes Publications_."

"Publications? As in books?"

"Yes, Mr Humphrey. I assumed you'd have heard of us though. Your agent tells me she has been communicating all the information I give her. Perhaps I was misinformed."

"You were definitely misinformed because I don't have an agent."

"Well, I'm afraid you do, Mr Humphrey. She submitted a book, authored by you, to one of my team members, however I decided to take it on as a personal project as I enjoyed it so much. I've met with your agent several times. Ms Abrams is a lovely young woman."

"Vanessa? Vanessa submitted a book written by me? There must be some mistake. I've never written a-. Oh, no! _Inside?_ Is the book called _Inside?_"

"Yes, it is. I spent some time on the Upper East Side myself a while ago but I must say I have never read a more perfect portrait of the people there."

"I—Thank you but that book can never be published. Those characters are my friends or at least inspired by them and they can never see that book."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Mr Humphrey. Harper and Smith are printing 10 000 copies of your book as we speak."

"10 000 copies? Wow, that's a lot. Is there any way to stop that?"

"10 000 copies is actually quite a modest number and I'm afraid there is no way to stop it. I'll be continuing communication through Ms Abrams. However, the book advance will be send directly to you. Thank you, Mr Humphrey."

"But-." Dan heard the dial tone at the other end of the phone before he could finish his sentence.

He walked back into the kitchen, unsure what to do with this new information.

Blair looked up at Dan, "Everything ok?"

Dan considered telling Blair the whole story; the fact that he'd been writing this book for five years, that Vanessa obviously stole it and that now it was getting published. "Yeah, it's fine. I just need to give Vanessa a call." He walked back into his room and dialled Vanessa's number, hoping she could fix the problem she had created.

He only heard half a ring before the phone went to message bank. Taping his foot on the floor, he waited for the tone and calmed himself down before leaving a message:

_Vanessa. It's Dan. Please call me back as soon as you get this. It is going to cause major problems in my life if this book is not killed. So, please be my friend instead of my_ (deep breaths, Dan) _AGENT and get rid of it!_

Dan clicked the phone off and threw it on the bed in a rage. He started pacing the room before he heard a light knock on the door. Turning to door, he saw Blair poke her head around with a smile on her face, "I was thinking of going down the road for lunch. I'll bring you something back and we can watch a movie while we eat. Your choice…but it better not be something bad."

Dan reached out his arm and grabbed Blair's wrist. As he pulled her towards him, she tilted her head back and said with a smile, "What are you doing?" Their lips met as he tangled his other hand into her soft brown curls.

He pulled away and looked down into her doe eyes, "I love you. And I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you."

Blair scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion, "I love you, too. What do you mean about something hurting me?"

Dan separated himself from Blair and started to walk out of his bedroom, "Nothing, just thinking out loud. So, lunch?"

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

The summer was just drawing to a close when the small rectangular package arrived at the Humphrey loft. Dan was in the city visiting his dad and Lily but Blair decided to stay in Brooklyn, so she was the only one home when the mailman came knocking.

Dan arrived home only half an hour later to find Blair curled up on the couch reading the contents of the package. He walked over to greet her with a kiss but she looked up at him with fire in her eyes. Putting her hand on his chest, she pushed him away from her and stood up in one fluid motion. She closed the book she was reading and shoved it roughly into his hands. Gritting her teeth she said angrily, "Explain this."

Looking down at the book in his hands, the first thing Dan saw were people holding cigarettes, phones, drinks and sunglasses. He looked underneath this and saw one word that made his heart quicken and sweat form on his brow:

_Inside_

Dan froze and couldn't even begin to explain it before Blair began talking.

"Why are we even together? The things you wrote about me. Or should I say Clair? You say you love me but how can I believe that? How could you love someone you call a, and I'm quoting you here, a 'dictator'? You also use words like 'scheming' and 'evil.' And how do you describe Serena, sorry, Sabrina? Let's see, shall we?" She snatched the book out of Dan's hand and began flicking through the pages.

"Bu-."

Blair raised one finger and her voice as she read random words from the book, "'The goddess with the golden hair and the amazing smile.' Or how about 'every man's dream girl?' How can I compete with a goddess." She slammed the book shut, clutching it to her chest as she began to walk to the bedroom. Dan quickly turned to run after her and grabbed her arm.

Turning her around, he started to explain himself, "I've been writing that book for five years. Those first few chapters were written when we were in our junior year at Constance-St Jude's. I didn't know you or Serena then. They were just observations of an invisible high school idiot. I'd been in love with who I thought Serena was for months, so that's the words that I thought of to describe her."

"And what about me? The words you thought of for me were 'scheming' and 'evil?'

"That was just after I met you. You were always trying to bring someone down so that's the way I saw you. You never approved of me back then, anyway," Dan began to raise his voice, trying to defend his action, "You called me 'Cabbage Patch,' and 'Labrador' and 'HumDrum Humphrey.'"

Blair got angrier now and raised her voice even further, "But I never published those things for the world to see. You did. You made my life public."

"I never intended to. This was supposed to be private. Just my own writing for me. But Va…someone stole it, pretended to be my agent and got it published."

Blair eyes widened as she heard the name that Dan tried to hide, "Vanessa? Vanessa got this published?" Blair took a deep breath to calm herself and Dan took this opportunity to continue attempting to save his relationship.

"Look, before you completely misjudge it, could you please finish reading it? I wrote the end of it because we got together. I had writer's block before we started…I couldn't write anything. But every time I looked across the table at you or I kissed you or we just held hands, I was inspired. Please. Just read it."

Blair moved to the kitchen counter and grabbed her purse and keys. She swung her bag over her shoulder and said in a broken voice, "I just need some time. I need to think about things. I'm going to go back into the city." Blair walked towards the door and out of the loft as Dan called after her, begging her to stay.

With the realisation that she was really gone, Dan rushed over to the counter and grabbed his cell phone. He dialled Vanessa for the second time that day. He had been trying to reach her every day for the last six weeks but all he got was radio silence. Her sister and parents hadn't seen or heard from her, nor had Nate, Jenny or Rufus. He would have been worried she was buried in a shallow grave somewhere but according to his book publisher, they had been communicating via phone on a daily basis. With no answer on the other end, and the message bank tone sounding, Dan said into the phone, "Wherever you are, don't bother coming back to New York or trying to call me. I don't want to speak to you. You possibly ruined the best relationship I've ever been in and I'll never forgive you for that. Have a nice life." Clutching the phone in his hand, he looked at the coffee table Dan where he saw a piece of paper sticking out from under the packing paper his book had arrived in.

Pulling it out, he skimmed the letter which was addressed to him.

_Dear Mr Humphrey,_

_Congratulations on the publication of your book, _Inside._ A copy is enclosed in this package as well as your $10,000 advance._

There was some mumbo-jumbo after that about the number of books published by _Holland and Hayes Publications _every year and how he was one of the chosen few who were lucky enough to get published. The letter continued:

_We are pleased to inform you that due to the online reception of your book by critics and the public, a book tour has been organised. This will span six weeks and involve signings and readings in numerous book stores across the country. Accommodation and meals are included as well as a small fee for each appearance._

_Please contact me on the above number to finalise details for the tour._

_Looking forward to meeting with you,_

_Lindsay Harper_

_Senior Editor, Holland and Hayes Publications._

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Blair ran up the stairs of the penthouse suite she shared with Serena and into her room where she sat down on her bed. Looking down, she noticed she was still clutching the book in her hand. She couldn't bring herself to put it down nor could she open it and read another word Dan had written. Serena's heels sounded on the stairs and across the landing. However, she came to a sudden stop when she saw Blair sitting on her bed. Stepping into the room, she walked over to Blair and said jokingly, "So you've finally come out the honeymoon phase and decided to-," Serena immediately stopped talking and the smile dropped from her face, when she saw the express on Blair's. She sat on the bed next to her best friend and put an arm around her, "What's wrong?"

Blair simply placed the book in Serena's lap and clutched her hands together. She watched as Serena flipped pages to the first chapter: an accurate description of a Constance-  
>St. Jude's Student Council meeting. Serena's face went from confused to shocked and then angry in one page. "Sabrina? Clair? Tell me this book isn't about us?"<p>

"There's also Charlie Trout and Dylan Hunter. Dan wrote this book about us; me, you, Chuck. I only read the first chapter but in those 15 pages alone he calls me a 'dictator' and 'evil'. I couldn't be in the same room with him, let alone the same borough so I had to come back to New York," Blair said, her voice breaking on the words Dan used to describe her.

"Why would he do this? He's actually taken parts of our lives and twisted them to make us look bad. I mean, this thing with the champagne wasn't my fault; that was all Georgina," she flicked through a few more pages and came to a stop, "Hang on, why would he publish this? This is all about his personal life too; he talks about his parents' break-up and how he was always an outsider. I'm sure he doesn't want people to know that stuff."

"Vanessa stole the book and submitted it to a publisher. She said she was his agent; they probably didn't even need to talk to Dan. Vanessa would have signed off on everything without Dan knowing," Blair took a deep breath and continued, "But he is still responsible for this book. He wrote it, no matter whether it was for a private or public audience." Blair glanced over at the book, wondering why he wanted her to "finish reading it."

She shook the thought out of her head and rose from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower and curl up in bed with some Audrey. Thanks, S."

After her shower, she walked over to her bag and took her cell phone out to check it. There were 4 missed calls from Dan and two text messages. One read:

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have written those things about you. Your life should be as private as you want it to be. Just read the end of the book. And please come home. I miss you._

The second only had three words:

_I love you_

Blair deleted both immediately. She flipped open her computer to watch the movie but not even two hours of Audrey were enough to distract her. She walked across the bathroom to Serena's bedroom, where she found her sitting on the edge of the bed with _Inside_ on her lap. "Are you reading the whole thing?" Blair asked, accusingly.

Serena looked up at Blair with a guilty expression, "Yes, but in my defence, it got interesting."

"Interesting? It's about us. Just remember what happened senior year and there are 10 chapters you don't have to read."

"It's not the same. He's changed things. You have to read it. I only have 2 chapters left and you're…just read it."

"Dan is telling me the same thing. He wants me to read it to the end because apparently that will make me forgive him for the other things he said."

"I don't want to get in the middle of you two but he actually text me about an hour ago, asking me if I could convince you to read it."

"I don't understand. What's so good about the end that I have to read it?"

"You just do. Give me half an hour to finish it and it's all yours."

Blair walked back to her room just as her cell phone lit up. She saw Dan's face staring back at her from the screen. The picture, which she had taken of him while he was making waffles one morning, brought a smile to her face before she remembered why she was mad at him. She pressed the red _Reject_ button and sat down on her bed. She thought about how she felt in the last six months; she loved Dan, more than anything, but would that be enough to forgive him? The phone vibrated in her hand, indicating a voice message had been received. She clicked the message icon and placed the phone to her ear to hear Dan's message:

_Blair. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry for what I did. I want to be with you. I love you so much and I can't imagine going through this without you. Uhhh, I- I should probably explain what this is. A letter came with the book; I have to do a book tour. The critics really liked _Inside_ and they want me to do signings and readings all over the country. It's a six week tour and I can't imagine going without you. I'm leaving on Saturday night from Grand Central Station and I want you with me. I'll be on the 7'oclock to Chicago. Please come back to the loft or meet me there on Saturday. I love you._

Blair hung up the phone and placed it on her nightstand. What was she supposed to do now? It was Tuesday which meant she only had 5 days to decide whether to go with Dan or not. She looked around the room and realised she hadn't technically lived here for three months. There were the occasional nights where she would stay in the city but the majority of her time was spent in Brooklyn, sleeping next to Dan Humphrey. Serena interrupted her thoughts by coming into her room with the book. She said, "Did you want me to-?"

"Just leave it on my desk, please. I don't want to read it now. Or maybe ever."

Serena walked over Blair and sat beside her. She grabbed Blair's hands in her own and looked her in the eye, "I'm sorry I didn't come around to the idea of you two at first. I didn't realise how-. You should read Dan's words, not hear my interpretation of them. Please read the book. Please." With that, she got up from the bed and moved back into her room.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Serena's and Dan's words haunted her all week until it came to Saturday morning and she couldn't take it anymore. She had less than 12 hours until she had to meet Dan and she needed some advice from the man she loved. She picked up the book and sat on the chaise lounge, flipping open to the first chapter.

She sat in the same position for hours reading and analysing every word Dan had written about her and everyone else she knew. She finally got to the end of the book and understood why Dan, and then Serena, wanted her to read it. Six little words changed everything and answered every question she had all week. She knew what she had to do.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Dan rose from his seat and moved towards the train with two tickets in his hand. He was about to hand them over to the conductor when he heard a shrill voice coming from the ticket barriers.

"…has the tickets. I'm not buying another ticket when he has one."

He turned and ran towards the entrance to see the back of Blair, talking to a conductor surrounded by five Louis Vuitton suitcases of varying sizes.

"She's with me."

Blair turned and saw Dan. He passed her the ticket and she moved through the barrier right into his arms. The conductor moved behind them to place Blair's bags on the train.

Blair pulled away from Dan and looked into his eyes, "I'm the love of your life?"

"Yeah. So, I guess you read the book. I'm sorry about the start but I guess the end kind of makes up for it."

With a teasing smile, she said, "Not even close. But, I'll still coming with you because, well, you're the love of my life too, Humphrey."

**A/N – Sorry for this mammoth of a chapter. It kind of took on a life of its own and I just let it. Not sure when the next one will go up as I'm going away next week and might not be able to finish it before then.**

**Thanks again to my amazing sister Cookie141 for being my beta and helping me edit this massive chapter!**


	3. Baby Mine

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews and subscriptions. The title of this chapter is the song Baby Mine by Bette Midler (BTW I love the Beaches soundtrack).**

**I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write and upload. I was in hospital for a little while (nothing serious) and then classes started and I had to catch up on that before I wrote again. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Gossip Girl or its characters.**

**Birthdate**

Her hair was plastered to her face by sweat as she turned her head to the side and saw the tiny person being wrapped in a pink hospital-issue blanket. She tore her eyes away from her daughter and looked towards the door, waiting for her fiancé to walk through.

"So, Ms Waldorf, your daughter is perfectly healthy. Time of birth is 4:27pm. She's 7lb 8oz and 47cm," the doctor informed her, "Now for the birth certificate. Do we have a name or are you waiting for the father to arrive?"

"Her name is Alexandra. Alexandra Daniela," Blair replied, completely sure of the name.

A nurse jotted this down and doubled-checked spelling with Blair. Pointing to the end of her middle name, Blair shook her head. "Daniela should only have one "L" at the end. Just one."

A midwife interrupted her conversation by placing Blair's daughter in her arms. She looked down at the bundle as her fiancé burst into the room, pushing past a nurse who insisted he wait outside.

"I want to see my child. My fiancé is in there so let me in."

"It's a girl," Blair said quietly, "A daughter. Alexandra Daniela."

He leant over her and looked down at the little girl in her arms.

"I have a daughter. Alexandra Daniela Bass," Chuck said.

**Nine months before**

It was starting to feel as if being on the arm of a billionaire business man, even if he was her soul mate, wasn't what she wanted it to be. Chuck had stayed true to his word and refused to become Mr Blair Waldorf. He was Chuck Bass and he wasn't living in anyone's shadow. Chuck had managed to weasel his way back into Bass Industries but as he rose to the top, he pushed Blair down. Even though she ran her mother's company on paper, in reality, she had no real power. So, she became an accessory; hanging off the arm of Chuck at every party he attended. And tonight's party was no exception. A small get-together, where the two hundred guests included some of Chuck's business associates and friends, was to be held a large sprawling mansion just outside the city.

Dorota helped her dress and perfected her hair before she stepped out into the lounge where Chuck was discussing business on his Blackberry. He glanced up at Blair fleetingly but then looked back down at the papers scattered on the coffee table as he wrapped up his conversation with yet another prospective investor. Blair waited by the elevator for Chuck and he walked over a few minutes later, thumbs moving furiously over the keys of his phone.

Without looking up, he gave the perfunctory boyfriend comment of, "You look nice tonight."

Blair smoothed out the skirt of her dress and thanked him as they stepped into the elevator and out to the town car which awaited them on the curb. Chuck slipped his cell-phone into his pocket as the car pulled up at the Marigold's home. He moved his hand around Blair's waist as they stepped out of the car, making sure everyone would see who he was with when they entered the party.

Waiters moved around the rooms of the mansion. Food and drinks were being consumed by the many Upper East Siders who crowded the rooms. Chuck and Blair moved through them, greeting some people briefly and stopping for lengthy conversations with others. When they reached a man whom Chuck was having a difficult time negotiating with, Blair politely excused herself from the conversation and moved to the large staircase in the house. She glanced around at other party-goers and quietly slipped up to the second floor. She walked slowly through the many hallways of the house, stopping and staring at original masterpieces for what felt like hours.

She was startled when a voice interrupted her thought process. "Are you admiring the artwork or avoiding the party? Coz I'm doing both."

A smile crept onto her lips and her face softened when she turned to the person who had addressed her.

"Dan."

**Alexandra Daniela Bass – Two days old**

"Dan? What are you doing here?"

Blair was surprised to see him walk into her hospital room. Their last conversation was unfinished and it didn't end pleasantly.

"Well, I came to meet your daughter, of course," Dan replied. He walked over to Blair's bed and looked at little Alexandra, curled up in her mother's arms. He squeezed Blair's shoulder and congratulated her.

"Looks like you did a good job. She's beautiful."

"Thank you. But it wasn't just me. The father had some input too. I'm sorry about…," Blair said with a smile.

Dan smiled in reply, "It's ok. Don't worry about it. So, how are you feeling?"

"Ok, considering, but I wouldn't mind going to the bathroom quickly. Do you mind holding her? I won't be long"

"I'm not sure…I don't think-."

Blair interrupted again, this time placing Alexandra in Dan's arms and moving towards the bathroom. "Just support her head. If she starts to cry, her pacifier's on the dresser," Blair said as she closed the door.

Dan adjusted his position so that Alexandra's head lay in the crook of his right arm. He looked down at the beautiful bundle as she stretched her little hands to the sky. He put his little finger near hers and she grabbed for it, wrapping her entire miniscule fist around his smallest digit.

"Alexandra. What a long name for such a little girl. But your mum knows what she's doing; she gave you a great name. But, you know what? I think I'll call you Lexie." When he spoke the last word, her eyes opened, blinking in the light that was flooding in from the window. "Hi, Lexie."

Dan sunk into a sofa, placed near the bed and continued to stare down at Lexie even after her mother returned from the bathroom and stood next to him. Dan moved his left hand from Lexie's grasp and squeezed Blair's hand. It was brief moment that was interrupted by Blair's cell phone vibrating from her dresser drawer.

"It's Chuck," Blair said, checking her messages, "he's on his way here."

Dan rose from his chair and walked over to Blair, waiting for her to sit back down on the bed before placing the baby back into her arms.

"I should go. It was nice to meet her and it was great to see you, Blair," Dan said with a soft smile playing on his features.

"Thank you, Dan," she said, making sure her daughter was securely in her arms.

Dan put his finger in Lexie's hand again and said, softly, "Bye, Lexie."

Blair's head snapped up, "What did you call her?"

Dan made his way towards the door and said, "Goodbye, Blair."

**Nine months before**

"Hello, Blair," Dan said, walking towards her with his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" Blair closed her eyes and scolded herself for the rude way the sentence had come out. Being around Dan somehow made her forget all the social graces which had been instilled in her since birth. "I'm sorry. I just meant that I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I didn't expect to be here either. Living in Lily's penthouse has both its positives and negatives. One of the negatives is being dragged to a party which I kind of don't want to be at."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't want to be here either. These amazing pieces are somehow making the night better though. I heard this Velázquez was in a private collection in New York but I never knew the Marigold's owned it," Blair said, pointing to the portrait she stood in front of.

Dan stood next to her and studied the painting she was referring to. "Elisabeth of France. But she was referred to as Isabel de Bourbón at times to avoid confusion with Louis XVI's sister. It's a great piece."

Blair elbowed Dan in the ribs and moved further down the hall as she said to him, "I don't need an art history lesson. I know what painting that is." She turned a corner and Dan quickened his pace as not to lose her in the intricate halls of the huge house.

Dan matched Blair's stride and looked as his feet as he spoke to Blair. "So, how long did you survive downstairs before escaping, coz I came up here as soon as I walked in the door?"

"I…well, I had to speak to a few people…I'm here wi…" Blair couldn't seem to get his name out; she couldn't say it to Dan.

"…with Chuck," Dan said, stopping and turning to look at Blair, "I heard about the engagement. Congratulations." Both sets of eyes moved to Blair's left ring finger before she covered the Harry Winston ring with her right hand.

"Thanks. It's great. Being engaged is great…," she cleared her throat, "…just great." She smoother her skirt again and ran her fingers through her hair but she couldn't bring herself to look Dan in the eye.

Their heads snapped up quickly when they heard footsteps advancing from the corner they had just turned. Dan grabbed Blair's hand and pulled her through the closest door. He turned into the room and saw a large four-poster bed, with curtains hanging on each side. There was a long chaise lounge at the end of the bed and a sofa set and coffee table situated in front of the fireplace.

Blair walked into the room and ran her hand along the length of the sofa before settling into the chaise lounge.

"I'm an accessory."

"What?" Dan said, walking over to Blair, "What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty and I add something to a conversation or a meeting but I'm useless," Blair said, twisting her engagement ring, on her finger, "I don't do anything…I just stand there, smiling and laughing at stupid jokes investors make."

Dan sat next to Blair and turned his head to her, "What are you saying?"

"I was supposed to run a company, be a powerful woman or at least happy" Blair said, almost laughing, "But I bet everything on Chuck and I lost. I was too distracted in those first few months, trying so hard to prove to him that he was wrong, that he was what I wanted. And Waldorf Designs decided they needed someone who was fully invested in the company, who was unfocused. And then our relationship changed. He finally got the company back and he was who he wanted to be and I wasn't. And I lost a bet I never should have made in the first place." Blair put her hand on her forehead as Dan wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Blair, are you happy with Chuck?"

"I…I don't know. I don't know anymore."

Blair told Dan about the last two years; Chuck's obsession with Bass Industries, his slowly distancing himself from her until suddenly, a proposal, just two weeks ago. She had to say yes. He was Chuck and he didn't hear the word no, so she said yes. Blair talked about everything she was too scared to talk to Serena about, thing she didn't want to tell her mother.

They talked and talked until finally Dan leant over and kissed her. Though at first she pulled away, she couldn't resist kissing him again.

The floor of the Marigold's third guest bedroom, which had not been used in three years, was now scattered with Blair's Oscar de la Renta dress tangled with Dan's Armani jacket.

**Alexandra Daniela Bass – Three weeks old**

Blair walked up and down the hallway over and over with Alexandra in her arms. She swayed from side to side and even tried the don't-pick-up-the-baby-when-she-cries technique. She was sore and tired and she needed help. She had been home for three weeks, two of which Chuck had been gone. Alexandra was only eight days old when he left for his "I can't miss it or it will be bad for the company" business trip. All four of her parents had come and gone, leaving on the same flight back to Paris only two days earlier. Serena visited sporadically; too busy with yet another new job. At 4am Blair finally collapsed into bed, praying that tomorrow would be easier, that someone would be there to help her.

Her prayers were answered in the form of a knock on the door at 10am. She opened it to find Dan standing in the doorway, holding two take-away coffee cups and a bag of some kind of breakfast pastry.

"Breakfast," he said as a way of greeting her. He slipped past her into the apartment and she closed the door and followed him. "Now, I don't know whether you can drink coffee while you're breastfeeding. I also don't know if you're breastfeeding," Dan squeezed his eyes shut and smiled to himself, "Well, this just got awkward. I'm sorry, the point is, I got you decaf just in case." He held out the coffee to Blair.

"Decaf is good. Thank you," she said taking the coffee and pastry that Dan was now offering.

"How's it going with the baby and everything?"

"Well, I've been alone for two days. My parents went back home and Chuck been away from two weeks so it's just been me and Alexandra. I haven't showered in two days and I've barely slept."

"Well, I can…" They were interrupted by Alexandra's cries from her crib. Blair set her coffee down and began to make her way towards the nursery before Dan stopped her.

"Let me do that. Have your breakfast and take a shower and a nap, if you want, and I'll watch her," Dan said with a smile.

"You don't have to, I can just…work something out…maybe have Dorota come over," Blair said shaking her head.

"It's fine. I like her and she seems to like me so I can take care of her. It'll be ok." Dan walked into the nursery and returned a few minutes later with the baby in his arms.

"Ok…ok. Um, wipes and nappies are on the second shelf next to the changing table and her mobile has a wind up thing at the top and it'll help her sleep," Blair turned to move towards the bathroom but stopped and turned to Dan, "Thank you. You're…just thank you."

Blair felt refreshed and more alert after her shower. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she listened for crying and, with a smile, realised there were none. She walked down the hallway and into the lounge where she saw the baby's crib positioned next to a sleeping Dan. She walked over to them and found Alexandra fast asleep, tightly tucked into her blanket. Dan's head was leaning to the side as if he had been facing Alexandra when he dozed off. Blair looked between the two of them and realised something.

The feeling that she had; that was what being part of a family was supposed to feel like.

**Eight months and two weeks before**

0:10

The stupid baby on the box was mocking her.

0:09

He was laughing at her.

0:08

So, she'd done it again.

0:07

Another pregnancy scare with two potential fathers.

0:06

The baby had the right to mock her.

0:05

She was repeating her mistakes over and over.

0:04

But maybe it was just a scare. Maybe the stress of cheating on her fiancé had just resulted in her being a little (ok, a lot) late.

0:03

It wasn't just cheating though. It wasn't just meaningless sex.

0:02

But she couldn't dwell on that now.

0:01

She took one last look at her watch and then looked over at the digital screen on the pregnancy test.

0:00

_Pregnant_

She took six more, just to be sure and then she made an appointment with her doctor.

Dr Charlotte James had been Blair's OB/GYN for only a few years and she felt quite comfortable with her. An early morning blood test and a late afternoon appointment confirmed what six pregnancy tests already had.

"Well, Blair, you are pregnant," Dr James said, as she sat down across from Blair, "about two weeks by the looks of these tests."

"Ok…that's…," Blair wasn't sure what to say to Dr James.

"…unplanned, I'm assuming?"

"Well, yes. But there's something else. It's about the father."

"I did notice you were wearing an engagement ring"

"Well, it's just that…he, my fiancé, I mean, might not be the father," she said, clearing her throat, "I…umm, I slept with someone else, about two weeks ago. It was just a onetime thing but I've also slept with my fiancé in the last two weeks. I…well…what I'm trying to say is that, I would like a paternity test. I want to know who the father is."

Dr James took this new information in her stride. This was not the first time an expectant mother asked such a thing and it wouldn't be the last, "Well, there are two options. You can wait until after the baby is born and do a standard DNA test. We can initiate that from here and we just need DNA from the baby and two possible fathers. The other option is an amniocentesis but I strongly recommend against that. It involves a large needle being inserted into the uterus and approximately 20mL of amniotic fluid being extracted. However, this is high risk. There is a chance of miscarriage early in the pregnancy and, if the test is done later, you can go into preterm labour."

"No. No, I'm not putting this baby in danger because of some stupid mistake I made. I'll just…I'll wait until after the baby is born."

"Ok, well then I'll need a swab from inside the mouth or hair from the baby and both of the men."

**Alexandra Daniela Bass – Three weeks old**

Blair didn't feel right about plucking a few hairs from Dan's head while he slept so peacefully next to her daughter.

Getting Chuck and Alexandra's hair had been easy; she found Chuck's on his pillow one morning after he left for work and she pulled only two strands from Alexandra's head with tweezers. She didn't want to hurt her daughter but it needed to be done.

She walked into her room and pulled the large zip-lock bag from her drawer. Inside, in two little plastic test tubes, were the hairs she had already procured from her fiancé and little Alexandra. There was a third empty test tube which she took with her. A quick pit spot in the bathroom for tweezers and she was standing behind Dan again, talking herself into pulling some hair from his head.

When she finally did, he seemed to have woken up. She quickly shoved the strands into the test tube and pushed it into her pocket, only to find him fast asleep again in a matter of seconds.

She immediately made an appointment with Dr James the following day and handed her all the requirements for the paternity test.

"Ok, well, Abby will call you when we have the results. It should be about two or three weeks," Dr James told Blair as she placed the items in an envelope and wrote the medical lab's address on the front.

**Eight months before**

It was 9pm and Chuck was in his study, poring over papers which covered most of his desk. Blair stepped in quietly and walked towards him.

"Chuck, I need to tell you something," Blair said, "Is now a good time?"

"What is it, Blair? I need to look over these things before my first meeting tomorrow," Chuck replied, barely looking up from his work to acknowledge her presence.

"Well, it's good news. I think it might make you happy," Blair said, with a smile on her face.

"Did Samantha call? About the meeting Jack was trying to get with Jonathon Marlinc?"

"No, your assistant didn't call and the good news is not about work. It's about me. Well, me and you, us," Blair cleared her throat, "Chuck, I'm pregnant."

Chuck finally looked up from his work with shock on his face. "Pregnant?" He seemed to swallow what he wanted to say next and instead opted to put a smile on his face and rise from his chair. He walked towards Blair and kissed her on the cheek, "That's wonderful, Blair, just wonderful."

Telling her parents and step-fathers was next. They were all over the moon, with Roman commenting that he's too young and attractive to be a grandfather yet.

Serena jumped from her seat in excitement when she heard the news, ecstatic that she was going to be an aunt.

"Can I tell people yet? My mum, Eric?" Serena asked, after giving Blair a hug, "Or do you want to wait until Thanksgiving, so you can tell everyone together? Which reminds me, are you and Chuck still coming for Thanksgiving? Nate says Chuck has been really busy with Bass Industries."

"We'll definitely be at dinner but you can tell people before then. I don't want to make a big announcement or anything."

The following weekend, everyone gathered at the Humphrey-Van Der Woodsen penthouse for Thanksgiving dinner. Chuck and Blair arrived together, of course, however Chuck never took his eyes off his phone, very busy with yet another takeover of a smaller company.

Blair walked into the lounge to find Nate and Serena with their arms around each other. Their on again-off again two year relationship has now been on for three months, the longest yet for them. Blair was happy for her friends and decided against interrupting them. She looked past them to the couch only to find Dan taking in every part of the room but her.

This was the first time that had seen each other since the Marigold's party. The events which had occurred in the guest bedroom would weigh on her thoughts for the next nine months as she wondered whether they were the reason she was now carrying another life inside her.

She walked over to Dan and sat next to him, "Looks like you're living up to your nickname, Lonely Boy."

Dan turned to Blair with a smile on his face, "Just waiting for the right person to talk to."

Blair smiled in return and looked around the room; everyone was talking to someone. Lily was reprimanding the staff while Rufus was attempting to calm her down, Nate was whispering something into Serena's ear, Jenny and Eric were gossiping about fashion and Chuck was speaking into his Blackberry again. Turning back to Dan, Blair said, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to do, Humphrey."

"And I guess congratulations are in order, yet again. I heard about the baby," Dan said.

Blair looked down at her lap and then back up at Dan, "Well, it was a surprise, definitely a good one but a surprise nonetheless."

"I'll really happy for you, Blair."

"Thank you. That's means a lot."

Dan cleared his throat and turned his entire body towards Blair, "Do you know if what happened between us…at that party…what I'm trying to say is-."

"Everyone, dinner is finally ready," Lily called from the head of the table.

Dan and Blair gave each other one final look before they moved towards the table for dinner.

**Alexandra Daniela Bass – Six weeks old**

Blair had Alexandra bundled into her pram, walking through Central Park when she heard her phone ring from the diaper bag hanging on the handle. She pulled the phone out and clicked the 'Accept' button, not recognising the number.

"Hello?"

"Good morning. May I please speak with Ms Waldorf?"

"Yes, this is Ms Waldorf."

"Ah, Ms Waldorf. This is Abby from Dr James' office. We received your results. Are you able to come in today and speak to the doctor?"

"Definitely. Yes, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Wonderful. We'll see you soon then."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Blair pushed the pram down the hall, following Dr James into her office.

"Blair, it's wonderful to see you again. How are you handling motherhood?" Dr James inquired.

Blair glanced at her peacefully sleeping daughter, "It's great. I just love Alexandra so much. She's perfect."

"That's wonderful to hear. Now, we both know you're not here to make small talk about your baby so I guess we should move on to the matter at hand. I, of course, do not have names but I'm assuming you know which man belongs to each sample, yes?"

Blair nodded her head, "I do."

"Ok, well. The results show a positive match for Sample One," Dr James folded the paper and placed it in an envelope, "You can take these results home with you."

In a trance, Blair reached across the desk and took and envelope. She stood up and thanked the doctor before turning and wheeling the pram back to the elevator. She was soon back in her apartment and rereading the results of the paternity test.

She looked over at Alexandra and was glad that she now knew who the father of her child was.

**One day before**

Blair stared at her swollen belly and couldn't believe it had been nine months already.

"Please come out. I really want to meet you," Blair spoke to her unborn baby, "and I'm sure your father wants to meet you too. Whoever he is. And that's another reason why you need to be born; we need to find out who your dad is."

The sound of a knock on the door stopped Blair's conversation and she began to rise from her place on the sofa.

She waddled towards the door and turned the lock to find Dan standing on the other side.

"Dan," she said, with surprise in her voice. Blair had been avoiding Dan since Thanksgiving. She didn't want to face the inevitable questions he would ask, especially when she didn't have an answer yet. Any time she had happened to run into him, she invented a doctor's appointment or pretended her phone was ringing. But he was now standing at her door, waiting to be invited in. She had no other chose than to step aside and lead him to the lounge.

"Do you want tea? Or coffee? I could go into Chuck's study and find some scotch?" she said with a smile.

"No, thanks. I just want to talk to you," Dan said, sitting on the sofa.

Blair sat, too and looked at Dan quizzically, feigning ignorance, "Oh?"

"Well, I know we haven't had much of a chance to speak. You've obviously been busy preparing for the baby and everything but I just wanted to finish the conversation we started on Thanksgiving."

"Well, I don't know if you'll like what I'm going to say."

"I'll still listen. I just want to know how…if I'm the…" Dan cleared his throat and started again. "Could this baby be mine, Blair?"

As Dan was finishing his sentence, Blair felt a pain and drew in a breath, placing both her hands on her stomach, "I think…" another pain washed over her, "no, I'm definitely in labour."

"Blair, you're seriously going to try that. You want to avoid this conversation so much that you're going to fake labour?"

The next contraction made Blair groan and double over. "I'm not faking anything, Humphrey," she looked up and grabbed Dan's shirt. "Get my bag and get me to the hospital."

"You're…this is real?"

"YES! What are you doing? Get up! Hurry!"

"Oh my g…ok, your bag? Where's your bag?"

"Bedroom."

Dan grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder before making his way quickly back into the lounge. Blair was trying to get up from the couch. He ran over to her and placed his arm across her back, helping her up and walking to the door.

A painfully long taxi ride later, Blair and Dan found themselves in the emergency room of the Beth Israel Medical Center.

Blair was yelling at a nurse while Dan attempted to get her into a wheelchair.

When she was finally placed into a private room, she turned to Dan, "You have to go."

"What? But I-."

"Chuck will be here soon and he can't see you. He'll start to ask questions and I don't know what I'll be able to tell him."

"He doesn't even know you're in labour."

"The nurse was going to call him. He's my emergency contact."

"Blair, I want to be here for this. It could be…"

"No. You can't," Blair groaned in pain again, "Please, just go." Dan bent over her. She pushed him away, "GO!" A nurse came into the room at the sound of Blair raising her voice.

"Ok, sir, you heard the mother-to-be. She makes the rules today." She took him by the elbow and pulled him towards the door.

"But I want to be here."

"Are you the father?"

"Well, I mi…" he mumbled.

"It's yes or no. I guess I'll take that mumble as a no. Off we go"

"Blair, I'll come back. I promise."

"DON'T!"

**Alexandra Daniela Bass – Six weeks old**

Blair asked Chuck to sit down in the lounge so that she could talk to him about something important, she said.

"What's this about? What's going on?"

"Well, I just want to talk about us. Our relationship."

"What about it?"

"It hasn't been right or good for a long time. It doesn't feel like it used to, in the beginning."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I don't think we should be together anymore. It's no good for us to be together if we're not…happy."

"What about Alexandra?"

"She's not yours," Blair cleared her throat, "You're not her father."

"It's Humphrey, isn't it? He's the father," Chuck said, calmly, applying his business-like demeanour to the conversation.

"Yes," Blair whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I knew in Monte Carlo, years ago, you had made the wrong decision. You knew too, deep down, but you were just too proud to admit it."

Blair covered Chuck's hand with her own, "I'm so sorry, Chuck. I never should have said yes."

She moved her hand and rose from the sofa. Chuck looked down to see the engagement ring in his hand and watched as Blair packed up her life into suitcases and walked out the door of the apartment.

Blair asked the concierge to order her a car and she piled everything into it, telling the driver to take her to Brooklyn.

She arrived at the loft and stood at the door, holding her daughter in her arms and surrounded by her suitcases. She knocked on the door and waited for Dan.

Dan was surprised to see Blair standing at his door with all her worldly possessions.

"Blair? What are you…are you ok? What's going on?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. Just, um, come sit on the couch. I'll make tea or something."

"No, it's fine. I'm ok," she said, sitting on the couch, "I just want to talk to you."

"Sure. Of course. Is everything ok?"

"Better than ok. Chuck and I broke up. I gave him back the ring and left."

"But what about Alexandra?"

"Alexandra is not his daughter. She's yours…ours."

"I'm…I'm the father?"

"Yes. Alexandra is your daughter."

Dan put his arms under Alexandra and cradled her in his arms. "Hi. Hi, Lexie. I'm your dad."

"Lexie?"

"Yeah, it's a nickname. Do you like it?"

Blair laid her head on Dan's shoulder and looked down at their daughter. "I guess I'll have to get used to it."

**A/N – Hope you liked. Subscribe and review if you wish.**

**The back and forth between the past and the present was kind of inspired by Jodi Picoult's books which I've read recently.**

**My sister Cookie141 was my beta again so thanks to her for reading it all for me!**


	4. Dancin' Away With My Heart

**A/N – Thank you so much for the subscriptions and reviews. I'm glad you liked it and I'm really excited about this chapter. The title is the song Dancin' Away with My Heart by Lady Antebellum (I saw them in concert earlier this year…so good!)**

**!THIS IS AN AU CHAPTER!**

**So it's a bit different but I hope you like.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Gossip Girl or its characters.**

"Good morning, Sterlington High School. Hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for another jam-packed week here at SHS. Just a couple of announcements this morning. With only a few weeks to go in the school year make sure all books and AV equipment are returned to Mrs Harris in the library. Prom tickets go on sale today at lunch and are on sale every day until Friday before prom. And don't forget to throw your support behind the Sterlington Eagles in the big championship game this weekend. They're battling the Scottsville Woodchucks on Saturday night. Have a great day."

Blair's hair fell like a curtain as she bent over her locker, searching for her AP Bio textbook for first period. She felt someone lean on the locker next to her and, without looking up, smiled, knowing it was her best friend Dan.

"So, are we going to the game on Saturday? We can buy hot dogs and laugh at the cheerleaders," Dan said as Blair flicked her head up and looked at him.

"Daniel, finals are in three weeks!" Blair scolded, hitting him with her finally-found Bio book, "Shouldn't we be spending our time studying instead of watching guys throw a big orange ball through a hoop?"

"Jeez, Blair. You make basketball sound so boring. And we will study. You can bring this giant textbook that's going to leave a bruise on my arm for a week and I'll bring English Lit or Language. And even if we don't, one night off is not going to affect your already perfect GPA and your chances of getting into Yale."

Blair closed her locker and started to make her way down the hall. Dan fell in step next to her and smiled, "Is that a 'yes'?"

"It's an 'I'll think about it.' Just come to my house Saturday afternoon and we'll study and then maybe go. Happy?"

"Deliriously. Well, I'm off to English. See you at lunch," Dan said. He turned a corner and disappeared into the crowd. Blair continued down the hall to Bio.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It had always been Dan and Blair. Blair and Dan. Best friends since the first day of elementary school, when precocious little Blair Waldorf asked to borrow shy Daniel Humphrey's red crayon. She was drawing a wedding picture and the bridesmaid had to wear red, she explained. Blair taught Dan about fashion and Dan taught Blair about books. They both came from single parent families; Blair's dad died when she was three and Dan's mum decided small town life and motherhood wasn't for her when Dan was only a few months old. They stuck together all through elementary school and grew even closer when high school started.

They met outside the cafeteria every day, walked the lunch line together and found a small table away from everyone. This Monday was no exception, however it seemed that every lunch spent together in the last few weeks was weighed with more importance. These were the last lunches they would have together at school. Graduation was in less than three weeks and then they had one last summer together before they went their separate ways.

"So, I went on that USC chat room again last night and apparently they're sending out acceptance letters this week," Dan said, placing his tray on the table. "I bet Yale's letters will be sent soon too."

"Tell me again why we chose colleges that were 3000 miles away from each other." Blair said as she slid into her chair.

"Because they're our dream colleges. And it's not like were some "joined-at-the-hip" couple that'll stay in their hometown just to go to college together."

They both turned and looked at the "golden couple." Nate and Serena had been together forever and were both going to the local community college so as not to spend even a day apart.

"We should open our letters together. Call me when you get yours and I'll call you when I get mine," Blair said, bringing the conversation back to the table.

Dan looked up from his lunch with a smile on his face, "I like that idea. Then the celebrations or commiserations can start as soon as we find out."

"Wonderful," Blair said with a laugh as she glanced over Dan's shoulder to the table that had been pushed aside and covered in red and white steamers and balloons, "Prom tickets went on sale today."

Dan turned and saw two of Sterlington's cheerleaders handing out tickets and collecting money from a long line of seniors, "What kind of theme is 'Fire and Ice'?" Dan said, turning back to the table.

"Everyone wears red or white clothes. They stole the idea from the TV show, _Revenge_."

"Why not the Robert Frost poem of the same name?"

"Because the people who chose the prom theme don't read Robert Frost, they watch _Revenge_," Blair said, thinking of all the cheerleaders on the prom committee.

"So I guess you'll need a red dress then," Dan said, with a smile on his face.

Blair looked up from her lunch, with surprise on her face, "What?"

"Well, you always say that you won't wear a white dress until your wedding day but I've got a proposal of a different kind, anyway," Dan smiled at Blair, "Blair Waldorf, will you go to prom with me?"

"Really? But you hate prom. You've been saying that since freshman year when we saw the seniors buying prom tickets. You said you'd never go to prom."

"Do you remember everything? And yes, I did say that but it seems I'm feeling sentimental, what with graduation around the corner. So will you go with me? It'll be our last chance to judge and mock our peers."

"Yes, I'll go with you. Thanks, Dan. This is going to be fun." Blair was over-the-moon. She had wanted to go to prom from the moment she stepped into the high school halls but she didn't want to be the clingy best friend who asked the boy.

Dan finished his lunch and walked over to the prom table. He returned a few minutes later with the tickets in his hand.

"Can I see them?" Blair asked. Dan passed them across the table. Embossed in the middle of each ticket were the words FIRE & ICE, printed in a bright red colour. Behind this was the picture of a fire, but instead of resting on wood logs, it was resting on ice cubes. Blair looked at the date and realised she had only eleven days to find the perfect prom dress. She passed the tickets back to Dan and reached for her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Dan shook his head as she put the tickets safely in his bag, "No way. You're not paying a cent. I'm the guy. I'm supposed to pay. You wouldn't want to wound my pride would you?" he said, with an exaggerated frown on his face.

Blair put her purse back in her bag. "Your pride will be fine," she said, giving Dan a playful push on the arm as the bell rang.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Blair rushed into the house that afternoon and, dumping her bag at the bottom of the stairs, ran straight to her room and started looking through her old dresses.

"Blair?" her mother called from the kitchen.

Blair stood at the top of the stairs, "Mum?! I need your help. Quick."

Blair heard Eleanor rushing from the kitchen and down the hall. She looked up the stairs with worry plastered across her face before she saw that Blair was perfectly fine after which the worry turned to anger.

"Blair," she began, "don't you ever do that again. I thought you were in serious danger."

"But I am," Blair said with her face in her hands, "Dan asked me to go to prom with her and I have nothing to wear."

"Dan? Dan Humphrey?"

"Of course. What other Dan would ask me?"

"Are you two-?"

"No! No. It's just as friends. Anyway, it doesn't matter if I have to go to prom in my pyjamas."

Eleanor took Blair's hand and led her down the first floor hall, "I have an idea," she said, stopping in front of the storage cupboard. She opened the door and pulled out a large rectangular box. She bought it into the study and set it on the desk before she began opening the box.

"A sewing machine?" Blair said, with surprise. She had seen her mother reattach a button or fix a hem, but as far as she knew, that was the extent of her sewing abilities.

"You probably don't remember this but before your father passed away, we used to love going to parties. We would have a babysitter come here and watch you while we dressed up and went to the next town over. They would hold big parties, balls really, with hundreds of people from all the neighbouring towns. And we would wear masks and dress in big ball gowns. But at that time we didn't have much money and I couldn't afford a new ball gown every month so…" Eleanor put her hand on the machine.

"You made them?" Blair said with surprise.

"Yes. I designed them too. I looked at pictures of celebrities and used different parts of different dresses to make mine. Come with me." Eleanor led Blair to the spare room. She opened the wardrobe and Blair's eyes widened. Inside were dozens of floor length ball gowns and dresses.

"Mum? Oh my god! These are amazing," she said, looking through them.

"Now, it was about 15-20 years ago that I wore these so they might be a little out of fashion but if you like, I can make you one from scratch. We'll grab some magazines, maybe you go online and find some dresses and we'll make you something beautiful."

Blair turned and wrapped her arms around her mum, "Thanks, Mum."

Blair and Eleanor spent the next few days looking about different dresses and dress patterns. She sketched dress after dress, until finally, late on Thursday night, they designed the right one. She visited the fabric shop the next day and by the time Blair arrived home on Friday afternoon, her mother had well and truly begun her one-of-a-kind prom dress.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Saturday night was the big basketball game. Dan and Blair studied in the afternoon at Blair's house before heading to the school. At about 5:00, Dan went downstairs to get a drink and when he came back up, he noticed the door to the spare room was closed. From the many times he'd spent here, Dan knew that door was always open. He remembered hide and seek games when he and Blair were younger and, more recently, using that room as an extra study space. Blair was sometimes annoyed by Dan's 'loud' breathing but not annoyed enough to kick him out of the house.

"Dan?" Blair got up from the bed when she heard footsteps across the landing. She exited her room to find Dan's walking towards the spare room. She ran down the hall and stood in front of him, "NO! You can't go in there."

Dan put his hands up in defence, "Whoa! What going on? Why not?"

"You just can't, ok?" Blair said, turning him around and pushing him back down the hall.

The sound of a door opening behind them made them both turn. Eleanor poked her head out of the spare room, "Everything ok?"

"Yes, Mum. Everything's fine. Dan just wanted to get a glass of water."

The next few hours passed by uneventfully before they left for the basketball game. Dan had to pry Blair's AP Economics book from her hand and promise her a full afternoon of study to convince her to come to the game. They spent the next few hours mocking everything from the suit the coach was wearing to the chants the cheerleaders were yelling. They sporadically clapped or cheered the Eagles but they were mostly there to laugh at their classmates and spent time with each other. As the final buzzer sounded and the Eagles celebrated, Dan turned to Blair.

"Annie's?"

"Definitely," Blair said, with a smile.

Annie's Diner was a five minute walk from school and Dan and Blair had breakfast, lunch or just a quick coffee there a few times a week.

"Hi, guys. Coffee?" Annie called from behind the counter.

"And a slice of apple pie with two forks," Blair replied.

They found a table near the window and began discussing the movie they were going to watch the next night (Sunday had been movie night for years).

"_Breakfast at Tiffany's_?" Blair suggested with a smile. She knew Dan would hate this and he did.

"Not again."

"_Sabrina_?"

Dan rolled his eyes at Blair.

"_Roman Holiday_?"

"Are any of these movies not going to have Audrey Hepburn in them?"

"I like Audrey Hepburn," Blair said defensively.

"The last three movie nights were Audrey Hepburn. Can I make a suggestion for a movie?"

"Fine. But I can veto it if I don't like it."

"_Night of Cabiria_?"

"Good choice but we'll need tissues because I'll probably cry again."

"You bring the popcorn, I'll bring the tissues," Dan said with a smile.

Annie appeared at their table and set down the coffee and pie, "What are you two arguing about?"

"Movies," Blair said, smiling at Dan.

Annie rolled her eyes as she turned to walk away, "As always."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The next few days passed by quickly. With school and study to fill her days, Blair hadn't thought about college acceptance letters until she walked home from school with Dan by her side and found one in her mailbox. She saw the Yale symbol in the corner of the envelope and almost dropped it on the floor. She had no idea what to do next so she looked to Dan for some guidance.

He looked as lost as her.

She tucked the envelope safely in her bag and grabbed Dan's hand, "Let's go to your place and see if USC has delivered your letter. Then we can go sit in the park and open them together." They started walking and arrived at the Humphrey residence in about twenty minutes. Blair pushed Dan towards the mailbox and stood back.

He opened it to find the linked letters of USC printed in the corner of an envelope. He pulled it out and turned to Blair.

"Well, come on then, let's go find out our futures."

They walked slowly to the park, barely exchanging two words. Any passer-by would be able to hear the loud beating of their hearts. When they finally arrived at Finley Park, they found an empty bench and sat down. Facing each other, they place their envelopes in front of them and looked at each other.

"Who's going to open first?" Blair said quietly, trying to hide her nerves.

"How about at the same time?" Dan said.

Blair looked down at the envelope again and back up at Dan. She nodded but still didn't reach for the envelope. Dan grabbed her hand and squeezed, "It'll be ok, no matter what the envelope says."

Dan moved his hands to the USC envelope as Blair did the same with the Yale one.

"Ok, let's do this," Dan said, flipping the envelope over and sliding his finger under the flap.

Blair copied and opened the envelope, sliding out the single paper as Dan did the same.

They looked up at each other.

"I…I got in," Blair said, slowly.

Dan smiled and laughed, "So did I."

Dan leaned over and hugged Blair, "Congratulations."

"You too."

They walked back to their houses slowly, talking about Yale, New York, California and USC and avoiding the same thought that they both had.

In only four short months, Dan and Blair would be living 3000 miles away from each other.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Blair decided to put her separation from Dan out of her head, at least until the end of summer, and concentrate instead on her prom dress. She was always standing behind her mother, watching her sew and cut the cherry red material into a dress. Eleanor kicked her out of the room several times until finally, on the Thursday before prom, the dress was ready to wear.

Her mother helped Blair into the cherry red floor length gown. The bust hugged her tightly while the skirt came out widely. The pleats on every inch of the silk skirt gave it the look of hundreds of flowers blooming all over the dress. Blair turned to the full length mirror beside the bed and her mouth dropped open. The dress fit her perfectly and accentuated her best features; her small shoulders and her narrow waist.

"Mum, it's…amazing! I love it. Thank you," she turned to hug her mother, "Thank you so much."

Blair would have loved to stay in the dress forever but instead took it off and laid it carefully on the bed in the spare room. She glanced in on it, just to ensure it was still there at least three times that night and five times the next day. It was the first thing she checked on Saturday morning and she ran into the room every time she walked past until, finally, at four o'clock, it was time to get ready for prom.

Dan would be picking her up at six and the next two hours were spent with her mother, who not only took on the role of designer but also make-up artist and hair dresser. Her face was powdered and bronzed and her hair was pinned and sprayed. With twenty minutes to go, Blair and her mother moved to the spare room and she stepped into her dress. Eleanor zipped the back before helping Blair into her black heels. Blair spun around to the mirror and saw a different person staring back at her.

"Mum! It's…amazing," Blair exclaimed.

She turned to her mother again and wrapped her arms around her.

"You're welcome, darling. Ohhh, make sure you don't ruin your hair," Eleanor replied.

Their moment was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. Eleanor stepped away from her daughter and made her way downstairs while Blair walked slowly to her room to retrieve her black clutch bag.

"…handsome…excited…last," Blair only caught snippets of her mother's conversation with Dan but when she peeked her head down the stairs, she could see him standing in the hall, holding a boxed corsage in his hand.

She started down the stairs and saw Dan's head turn towards her. His eyes widened when he laid eyes on the beautiful girl he called his best friend.

When she finally landed on the ground floor, he took a step towards her, "Blair. You're…I mean, you look… Perfect."

Blair cast her eyes towards the ground and blushed, "Thank you."

Dan took the corsage out of the box and stretched the elastic around Blair's wrist. She thanked him again before kissing her mum goodbye and stepping outside with Dan. They walked down the path in silence before stepping into the back seat of Rufus' car.

"Hello there, Blair. I'm Rufus, I'll be your chauffeur tonight," Dan's father tipped his hat towards Blair and turned back to the road.

Blair stifled a giggle, "Thank you, Rufus," and turned to Dan. "This is great, Dan. It's going to be such a good night."

The car trip went by quickly; having two Humphreys in the car meant the conversation flowed easily. Rufus dropped Dan and Blair near the Sterlington Gym. Dan stepped out first and offered his hand to Blair as she slid out of the car. He held onto it as they walked towards the entrance.

The ticket stand was manned by prom committee members (and cheerleaders!) Isabel Coates and Kati Farkas, two best friends who were attached at the hip.

"Tickets?" they said in unison. As they giggled at their "jinx" moment, Dan turned to Blair and rolled his eyes before retrieving his tickets from the inside of his jacket. They each received a stamp on the hand and made their way into the prom.

"Ok, those cheerleaders on the prom committee may be bimbos but they know how to make a gym look good enough for a party," Blair said in awe.

The wall and tables were decked out in red and white silk-like material while twist and plaits of the two colours hung from the roof. These were separated by glowing white and red lanterns in all shapes and sizes.

Dan agreed with Blair before directing her towards the refreshments. They spent the night talking, laughing and dancing to the few '80s and '90s tracks that the DJ played. They removed themselves to the far recesses of the room when anything by Nicki Minaj or David Guetta blasted through the speakers.

"Hhhaaaahemmmmm," the vice principal, Ms Queller, cleared her throat into the microphone. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come that you've all been waiting for. It is time to find out who have been crowned Sterlington's Prom King and Queen for 2012. Now, first of all, we shall call the nominees onto the stage: Carter Baizen, Aaron Rose and Nate Archibald."

Each a member of Sterlington's victorious basketball team, the three boys got hard slaps on their back and cat-calls from their fellow players, as they made their way to the stage.

"And the nominees for queen are Vanessa Abrams, Nelly Yuki and Serena Van Der Woodsen."

The girls moved slowly to the stage in their long dresses to the sound of applause and cheers.

"Thank you, nominees. Now to the announcement," Ms Queller received two envelopes from the school's secretary. "Your 2012 Sterlington High Prom King is…Nate Archibald."

Blair leaned over and spoke loudly into Dan's ear, over the sound of deafening applause, "I'll bet you breakfast at Annie's that golden girl Serena gets Queen with her golden boyfriend Nate."

Dan laughed and leaned towards Blair, "Well, that's not a fair bet. I'll definitely be buying you breakfast."

A few minutes later, Ms Queller moved to open the second envelope, "And finally, the big one, the 2012 Prom Queen is…Serena Van Der Woodsen."

Dan and Blair looked at each other and laughed as Serena screamed and jumped up and down. She wrapped her arms around Nate's neck and planted a kiss on his lips before walking over to Ms Queller to receive her crown.

"Can I ask everyone to clear the dance floor? As is tradition, the Prom King and Queen will now dance together."

The happy couple swayed together in the middle of the floor to some dance ballad before the DJ invited the other students to join them on the floor.

A little while later, as a slow song began to play, the DJ grabbed microphone, "Okay, guys. Last chance to dance. I'll be signing off after this song." He turned the volume up on the Lady Antebellum song. Blair vaguely recalled the title as having Dancing and Heart in it.

Dan stood in front of Blair and extended his hand to her, "May I have this dance?"

Blair placed her hand gently on his, "Of course."

They moved towards the centre of the dance floor and Dan placed his hand on Blair's hip while she moved hers to his shoulder. They swayed to the music, getting closer and closer with each beat of the song. As the final verse began, Blair laid her head on Dan's chest.

"I'm going to miss this," Blair said quietly, letting silent tears dampen the lapel of Dan's jacket.

"Us dancing to some random pop song?" Dan replied with a smile.

"No. You." Blair lifted her head and looked up at Dan through her tears.

Dan swiped his finger under Blair's eye, wiping away her tears. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before whispering in her ear, "I'll miss you too."

Dan and Blair continued to sway together on the dance floor long after that final song ended. Most of the other students left before Blair lifted her head and looked around the room.

"Wow. I never thought we'd be the last ones to leave prom," Blair said, with a smile on her face.

"Shall I walk you home, milady?" Dan said, gallantly.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," Blair replied, laughing.

Soon after they stepped onto the sidewalk, Dan slipped his hand into Blair, intertwining their fingers. They stayed like this all the way home, talking and laughing and just being together.

As they stepped into the porch of the Waldorf house, Dan turned to Blair and took her other hand.

"Listen to me. Don't worry about college and missing me and being apart. We'll call and write and catch up all the time. Okay?" Dan gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, but what if-?" Blair countered.

"Stop worrying so much. We're about to graduate. Worry about that first. All this college talk…we still have a whole summer before we go away."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Even eight years later, Dan still considered that summer to be the shortest of his life. It lasted three months, just like any normal summer but it felt much quicker to him and Blair. After prom came graduation and then the next few months passed by in a blur until finally it was the day they were leaving for college. Dan and Blair had flights departing from the same airport at the same time but his was flying west and hers was heading east.

He still remembered Blair complaining she needed more than 23kg of luggage to move her entire life 1,400 miles away. He bought her a coffee which kept her relatively quiet until it was time to board their flights. He remembered wiping away tears again before placing his hands on either side of her face, pushing her hair away. He still remembered the butterflies in his stomach as he leaned into kiss her and the feeling of her hands in his hair. Just as quickly as it had happened, Blair pulled away.

"I just wanted to know what it would be like," Dan said, with a shrug, "I'll miss you, Blair Waldorf." He leaned in again and quickly pecked her on the lips.

Eight years later, Dan remembered that kiss and thought of Blair again. They had tried to keep in touch. Calling weekly, writing long letters about the little observations they were still making about their worlds. They had seen each other a total of three times in the last eight years. The first was during the summer between freshman and sophomore year. They spoke on the phone and worked out a weekend where could both go back to Sterlington and see each other. The second was in the middle of junior year. Blair's grandmother passed away and he came and held her hand the entire funeral. She cried onto his shoulder for the rest of the afternoon. The last time was after graduation. Dan flew to New York for a weekend and decided to have dinner with Blair. She asked on the phone if she could bring a friend and he reluctantly agreed. When he walked into the restaurant he saw her sitting with her friend, who happened to be a man. She introduced him to Dan as her boyfriend, Chuck Bass.

Dan and Blair hadn't spoken much since then but Dan still thought of her often. He didn't know where she was or what she was doing with her life. But the one thing he did know was that she was right; he missed her. The easy conversation and the comfortable silence that existed between them. Dan began the short walk from the offices of _New York Magazine_, where he'd now been working for two years, to his subway stop, still thinking about Blair.

She couldn't resist stepping into a second-hand bookstore and browsing their shelves for a few minutes. She saw the back of her first; her brown curls sitting just below her shoulders as she bowed her head, reading a page from an old hard-back book.

"This isn't a library. If you want to read, you buy," Dan said with a smile.

Blair turned and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the person standing in front of her.

"Dan? Oh my god! Dan," she ran and threw her arms around his neck.

Dan hugged her back and spoke into her hair, "Hi, Blair. How's it going?"

Blair pushed Dan away and hit him playfully on the arm, "We barely speak in four years, we're surrounded by some of the greatest literature of all time and your opening line is, 'how's it going?'"

"Technically, my opening line was, 'this isn't a library,'" Dan said, with a smirk on his face.

"Very funny. What are you doing in New York? I thought you were still out in LA?" Blair said.

"I got a job at _New York Magazine _a couple of years ago so I moved. I like the East Coast better than the West. I forgot how much I missed snow until I had a white Christmas. Anyway, what about you? Last time I saw you, we had just graduated and you had a handsome guy on your arm."

"Chuck? Oh, we broke up ages ago. It was all about business for him. He ended up being…just…not right for me. But I'm pretty happy now. I'm working at _Vogue_. Fashion editor. I love it."

"That's great. Congratulations. You know, I can't believe were living in the same city and we haven't even gone out for a coffee yet."

Blair started towards the door of the bookstore, "Well, we're going to have to fix that, aren't we? There's a great diner near here."

Dan and Blair walked side by side out of the bookstore and onto the sidewalk.

"By the way, what were you reading before?"

Blair smiled and looked up at Dan before she answered, "Robert Frost, _Fire and Ice_."

**A/N – Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Subscribe and review if you wish.**

**If you want to know what Blair's prom dress actually looks like, Google "Oscar de la Renta Pre-Fall 2010 Vermillion Silk Organza Pleated Gown" but imagine it not as a mullet dress!**

**My sister Cookie141 was my beta again so thanks to her for reading it all for me!**


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